Local, State And Federal Agencies Participate In Town Hall Meeting

A townhall meeting was held Sunday night in Newport at the Newport Grammar School auditorium. A large crowd was there to listen to state and federal agencies talk about how they are responding to the recent disaster. The Tennessee Highway Patrol has an increased prescence in the area to help keep the area secure and to help in any way they can.

TEMA says they have now assesed over 600 structures in a four county area, including Cocke County in the past week. They are asking for patience as they try to get to all damaged properties.

The Department of Labor and Workforce development says that all unemployment claims from the disaster area are taking top priority in the state over other areas of Tennessee. Those who are self-employed, but have lost their livelihood due to the disaster, are encouraged to apply for unemployment benefits.

The Department of Human Services was on hand and they say if you have lost your EBT card for SNAP benefits due to the flood, you can go on your DHS portal and request a replacement card. Those who are not currently enrolled in SNAP are encouraged to apply if they need assistance. The website to go to is OneDHS.tn.gov.

The townhall was organized by State Rep. Jeremy Faison.